Lehigh Transition and Assessment Program

When the aspiring director took his curtain call following the production of his one-act play, he was thrilled to have won rave reviews from friends, family and the college community.

Tomko, who communicates through the use of a Dynavox speech device, wrote a script, held auditions, cast his classmates in roles and led rehearsals for what became “Shaun’s Looney Play.” The short, four-minute act focused on an act of thievery by Bugs Bunny and the lessons of friendship and forgiveness by a cast of beloved cartoon characters. 

Tomko’s directorial debut marks the first time that Transition and Assessment has supported a student in college classes, says Amanda Helman, transition coordinator for the program.

“We work hard encouraging our students to be self-advocates,” says Helman. “What Shaun has done is really special and hopefully has opened the doors for his peers here at Lehigh.”

The transition and Assessment Program, which is funded by local school districts and counties throughout Pennsylvania, helps young adults adapt to new social settings when they leave school. Tomko’s interest in college began a few years ago, when he attended a conference for students with disabilities who were making the transition from school to adult life. He told his parents then that he wanted to go to Lehigh, the school his father attended. 

“Just the idea of saying he is going to Lehigh causes people to presume greater competence, which he in turn lives up to,” says Colleen Tomko, Shaun’s mother. “I really believe he is getting many of the same benefits that other students attending Lehigh gain. You don’t need to be a ‘traditional’ student to realize the many real, practical and functional lessons that can be learned from a campus like Lehigh.”